Texas Dog Adopted After 419 Days in Shelter Returned After 1 Day

Rusty's had a rough journey.

The German shepherd and catahoula mix is only 2 years old but has spent about half of his life in an animal shelter.

His first owners gave him up to the Humane Society of Central Texas in Waco in February 2020 because he was too hyper as a puppy.

A dog rescue in Idaho then took Rusty in but returned him to Waco two months later because he didn't get along with other dogs.

Rusty was finally adopted out in November, but he found himself back at the shelter because he was too destructive, 6News reported.

Volunteers worked with the pup to socialize him and train him. After 419 days in the shelter and a positive behavioral change, Rusty was ready to meet his new family. A couple adopted him in March, but returned him a day later because he was just too much work.

"We are not at all upset with his adopters. They did the right thing bringing him back because he is a lot of work, and he did nip at them," a shelter employee said in a video shared on Facebook.

"Not every dog is right for every family. We know there's a lot of judgment going on about the family that returned him. But, you know what, they didn't let him go in the street, they didn't let anything happen to him, they acknowledged he wasn't the right dog for them, and they brought him back."

While there was a lot of disappointment that things didn't work out for Rusty, his story now has a new chapter. Rusty is now living at Pearl's Place in Temple. The dog rescue is taking Rusty in until a truly permanent home can be found.

Photo: Humane Society of Central Texas Facebook